School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert

Chapter 156 Xiao Han's Strength

"Winning and losing are common in the art of war," Xiao Han glanced at his opponent.

The middle-aged man didn't speak but waited for the outcome of the nearby match. Next to him, Chen Zihan was under heavy pressure from an old man with white hair. The situation was dire, and Chen Zihan had already suffered heavy losses. The old man's attack was fierce, leaving Chen Zihan struggling to respond. Amidst her heavy losses, she was figuring out how to defend her position.

However, the old man's horse and cannon had launched a fierce attack, and with the addition of two pawns, the onslaught was unstoppable.

All of Chen Zihan's troops were exhausted. She only had one elephant and two pawns left, and there was no way for her to block the opponent's attacks.

"Little girl, you're about to lose," the old man said with a slight smile.

"If I lose, I lose..." Chen Zihan pursed her lips, seeing the situation as very bleak, and she felt that there was little hope of achieving a draw. If she could manage a draw, there might still be a chance to compete in the next round. But now, the situation seemed very bleak, and she felt powerless.

When the white-haired old man marched his troops southward, Chen Zihan immediately surrendered.

"Hahaha..." The white-haired old man laughed heartily and said, "Little girl, you indeed have good strength. How about... I take you as my disciple?"

"I don't want to!" Chen Zihan huffed.

"Haha, I, Xiang Nantian, do not take disciples lightly," the old man laughed heartily.

"You're Xiang Nantian?" Chen Zihan exclaimed, looking at him with surprise.

"Yes, indeed it is me!" the old man nodded.

Hisss...

The scene suddenly buzzed with astonishment, as anyone who loved Chinese chess should recognize the name. Xiang Nantian was a master of Chinese chess in China, and most importantly, he was from LJ city. It was rumored that he had been developing his career elsewhere and had not returned. Unexpectedly, he had joined this competition.

"My God... that's Xiang Nantian, Teacher Xiang?"

"Indeed amazing, advancing to the championship fight," people said.

"It seems that Teacher Xiang is certain to take first place," they concluded.

In the crowd of onlookers, people laughed together. In fact, many knew that once Xiang Nantian entered the competition, the first place was almost certain. Thus, everyone was already convinced that first place was decided, waiting only to see who would take second and third. However, since Xiang Nantian would take first place, second place logically went to Xiao Han.

That meant that only the third place was left to be revealed.

"It seems the first and second places are already out," people remarked.

"Yes, there's almost no suspense about first and second places," they discussed.

People chattered among themselves.

Xiao Han looked at Chen Zihan, and they both smiled knowingly, with Chen Zihan appearing slightly unwilling to accept it.

"Xiao Han, it's a pity I couldn't meet you in the championship match," Chen Zihan said with a sense of grievance.

"Don't worry!" Xiao Han shook his head, "Teacher Xiang's strength is brilliant, you know that."

"Yes!" Chen Zihan nodded, "I didn't expect to encounter him. Just my luck."

"Maybe I would lose if I met him," Xiao Han chuckled, "So... we still can't meet in the championship fight!"

"No, you will definitely win!" Chen Zihan quickly replied.

"I'll try my best." Xiao Han smiled.

Xiao Han and Xiang Nantian squared off. Meanwhile, Chen Zihan refocused and continued her match against the middle-aged man.

The opponents swapped their battlefield and continued to face their adversaries.

Xiang Nantian glanced at Xiao Han and said, "Young man, I've just taken a look at your playstyle. Although it's quite aggressive, it's also methodical. But still, you can't beat me. So, why don't you just surrender?"

Xiao Han was slightly startled—he had been focused on playing chess with Chen Zihan and was surprised that Xiang could also observe this match. Such multitasking seemed extraordinary. Could it be that reaching his level, multitasking was not a problem at all?

"That won't do!" Xiao Han shook his head, "This is a competition, and we should maintain a sporting spirit."

"Good!" Xiang Nantian smiled, "Then let's begin."

Xiao Han immediately focused his mind, took a deep breath, and gazed earnestly at the chessboard, his mind as calm as still water.

Xiang Nantian made the first move, while Xiao Han still followed his usual strategy, deploying the Flying Cannon. Discover stories with empire

The initial tens of moves were mainly laid out as a foundation for later in the game. Neither side would engage in much direct conflict. However, Xiao Han had already discerned that his opponent was setting up a vast trap. His mind raced like a giant computer, calculating his opponent's strategies.

An ordinary person could at best foresee the opponent's next three to five moves - which was already quite impressive. Generally, with three to five moves, one could guess the opponent's intentions. But Xiao Han was clearly much more capable, for he could see through Xiang Nantian's next seven moves.

Although it was only two or three steps more than an ordinary person, these few steps already revealed his opponent's plans and allowed him to counterattack accordingly.

Xiao Han remained emotionless, his expression still very calm.

Xiang Nantian, too, was like a stagnant well, unperturbed. The two engaged in an intense contest. Xiang Nantian's style was known for its aggressiveness, suffocating opponents until they couldn't breathe. Typical players would probably last only about ten minutes against him. If the opponent was slightly better, it might take about twenty minutes.

Today, it took thirty minutes to defeat Chen Zihan, which showed her strength was also commendable.

Compared to Xiang Nantian, Xiao Han's style was a bit more gentle, akin to using minimal force to move a heavy weight, or perhaps more like a slow encroachment. He did not like to fight head-on at the beginning, preferring a slow approach, like boiling a frog in warm water.

The match was closely contested and intensely fought. Xiao Han's lips curled into a strange smile because he knew that once he withstood Xiang Nantian's first fierce attack, then the opponent would have no moves left. After that, it would be his turn to counterattack.

Xiang Nantian realized how formidable Xiao Han was - the young man had silently neutralized all his attacks and, impressively, appeared to see through all his tactics, adapting seamlessly.

After one round of attacks, Xiang Nantian captured one of Xiao Han's cannons. Beyond that, he could not gain any more advantage.

Xiao Han's tactics were gentler; he contained all his strength within his territory. After Xiang Nantian crossed the river, Xiao Han began his counterattack.

"Check!" Xiao Han declared with a grin.

Wow...

The audience was immediately abuzz. Someone actually managed to check Teacher Xiang's forces? Most shockingly, this guy was now playing the same strategy he used against that middle-aged man earlier. The moves were the same. He was about to undermine from beneath. Thus, this caused an outcry among the spectators.

Xiang Nantian realized the dire situation as he hastily began to retreat his troops.

Alas, it was already too late.

"Teacher Xiang, I'm going to take this chariot of yours," Xiao Han said with a smile, directly capturing Xiang Nantian's chariot with his Flying Cannon.

"Uh..." Xiang Nantian's face showed some embarrassment, his old face inevitably reddening.

Xiang Nantian was a grandmaster of Chinese chess in China, whereas Xiao Han was not. Xiao Han had nothing to fear from losing, but if Xiang Nantian lost, it would be a humiliation across all of China. Therefore, the pressure on them was different. Xiao Han was completely pressure-free, while Xiang Nantian was under tremendous pressure.

Having lost a chariot, Xiang Nantian finally acknowledged his mistake. He quickly moved his guard pieces to defend his general, drawing back his forces. After all, experience often outmatched youth, so he effortlessly nullified Xiao Han's schemes.

Just as Xiang Nantian was preparing to launch a major offensive, he suddenly discovered a strange scene: Xiao Han's cannon had, at some point, appeared in the middle line. A cannon on the middle line was surely detrimental. For this, Xiang Nantian took extra precautions, deploying guards to protect the general, always ready to counter the opponent's cannon.

The battle was still progressing, and Xiao Han remained silent.

Xiang Nantian's second wave of attacks was quite aggressive. Xiao Han sacrificed a chariot, but Xiang Nantian didn't fare much better, losing a cannon and a horse.

The two sides attacked and defended in turn. After Xiang Nantian's second wave of attacks, there weren't many pieces left on the chessboard. The innocent soldiers suffered horribly. Chariots, horses, and cannons were the main forces of the attack.

"Teacher Xiang, it's my turn," Xiao Han acted after plotting.

The only remaining chariot charged forward, capturing the elephant that Xiang Nantian was using to shield his general.

Xiang Nantian was shocked, his complexion drastically changing. He hadn't expected to be so negligent. He should have been aware when his opponent had positioned dual cannons along the middle line, aiming to check the general with both. Trouble was now imminent.

"Teacher Xiang is in trouble." The watching crowd also grew agitated since, on the outskirts, many had opened betting booths—of course, most had bet on Xiang Nantian winning. Although the odds weren't high, it was all in good fun. But now, seeing Xiang Nantian on the verge of defeat, wasn't that a problem?

"Yes, Xiang Nantian has now been checked by the opponent's dual cannons," the mood of the crowd was very tense and panicked.

Xiao Han said, "Teacher Xiang, you are now in checkmate."

"No, it's not over yet!" Xiang Nantian gritted his teeth, his old face almost unable to hold up.

Having spoken, Xiang Nantian resolutely used his remaining chariot to block. Xiao Han easily blasted the chariot into pieces. Xiao Han said, "Teacher Xiang, you can no longer block. I still have a horse and dual cannons; the outcome of Chessboard Mountain has already been decided."

Xiang Nantian took a deep breath. He was a smart man and knew that continuing to resist was futile at this point. Rather than struggling and losing, it was better to surrender quickly and cleanly. At the very least, it would leave him with some dignity.